Lithium recovery, animation - 4K stock video

Animation showing how a capacitive deionisation cell can recover lithium ions (blue) from a lithium-containing solution. Capacitive deionisation is a process in which ions, such as lithium, are removed from a solution by the application of an electric field. When the power is on, electrons (black with white minus symbol) flow to the upper electrode, making it negatively charged and leaving positive holes in the lower electrode. The electrodes attract the opposite charged ions in the water. The upper electrode is covered in a selectively permeable membrane, that only allows the uptake of lithium ions, leaving other positively charged ions in the water to be washed out of the cell. When the power is off, electrons flow back to the electrode they came from, releasing the lithium ions for recovery. The system also stores the electric charge (capacitance) like a battery and the flow of electrons back to their original electrode can be used to power components such as the light bulb. For a version of this animation with text labels, see K013/9737